Proper Usage of Semicolons
by John Cook
According to The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, “Semicolons and colons help [us] connect words, word groups, or sentences in useful and varied ways” (467) . Even though a semicolon and colon have common usages, they are used in different ways. The semicolon is used between “major sentence elements of equal grammatical rank” while the colon is used primarily “to call attention to the words that follow it” (The Bedford 367-383).
Knowing how to use a semicolon in the most effective manner to show a direct relationship between two closely related ideas is essential for the educated writer.
Example
A semicolon is used between closely related independent clauses not joined by coordinated conjunctions, such as and, or, for, yet, so, but. “The semicolon indicates that the clauses are linked logically; at the same time, it creates a brief reading pause between them” (The Longman 467) . Basically, the semicolon must be used whenever a coordinating conjunction has been omitted between independent clauses.I love seeing new places and meeting new people, and each new life experience I gain from traveling helps me grow as a citizen of the world. (The "and" here does nothing to indicate how one idea is dependent upon the other.)
Writers must be cautioned against overuse and misuse of the semicolon, as it is a punctuation device that readers tend to pay more attention to them than they do commas or periods. A semicolon per page is about what we can expect the typical reader to tolerate.
Practice
After reading all above mentioned information, you now should be able to use a semicolon properly. In fact, read the sentences below and place a checkmark next to the sentence(s) where a semicolon needs to be placed to show a direct relationship between ideas.
1. The quarter is almost over, so many of students are looking
forward to traveling with their friends._____
2. You should watch with your heart not with your eyes, as only heart tells
the truth. ______
3. Will Smith was known for being Fresh Prince of Bell-Air,
and in
1996, he starred in a movie called Men in Black and got himself and new image._______
4. Bob Dylan’s new CD was released on March 3, 2004, and
this CD has earned him a place in the Music Hall of Fame._____
5. I spent one week in the hospital, and being overly stressed
about classes now threatens my health.
Answers: You should have checked 2, 4 and 5.
Assignment
Look through some of your old journal entries and papers and find twenty sentences that you can combine down to ten. Remember that the sentence must have a direct relationship between them.